Sam Poole & Kimberley Barber

Thousands sign petition to save Portsmouth Naval Gliding Club from being ‘forced’ to close

A SEAT in one of the strongest Tory constituencies in the country is up for grabs with the exit of its stalwart MP.

That’s the view of political parties after Fareham MP Mark Hoban announced he will be quitting the position at the general election in May after 14 years to move on to ‘new challenges’.

Conservative applications to replace Mr Hoban will begin on Monday.

But the contenders will not include likely candidates Sean Woodward, leader of Fareham Borough Council and Donna Jones, leader of the Portsmouth authority, after both ruled themselves out of the running.